Endings Are New Beginnings (Book 1) (Completed)

Part 58

A clean, fully dressed Sophie pulls herself up onto the bed, as she waits for me to finish getting ready. I quickly braid my hair to keep it off my face, before turning to Sophie.

"Ready to go and see Levi sweetie? Maybe we could see Granny on the way back." Her face lights up at the mention of Levi, only to dull when I suggest going to see my mum. I crouch down in front of Sophie. "Don't you miss her?" Her face shows her conflict.

"She doesn't stop them," she mumbles.

"Stop who?" I ask her, my blood going cold.

"I like your hair, can you do it like that on mine?" she asks, her hand going to where my plait is.

"Sure sweetie. Granny doesn't stop who?" I insist fearing the worst. Thinking it's the perfect excuse for her not to see my face, I go around her and sit crossed legged on the bed behind her. I begin to section her hair as I wait for her answer.

"Her boyfriends," she answers. I swallow down the bile in my throat.

"What do they do to you sweetie?" I ask shakily.

"Shout at me," she answers fiddling with the hem of her dress. The tension in my body relaxes slightly.

"Do they touch you?" I prompt.

"They hold me here," she says moving from the hem of her dress to her wrist.

"Anywhere else?" I ask the bile which receded coming back up.

"No," she answers resolutely and without any hesitation or room for any doubt. I close my eyes the relief washing over me. It's shortly replaced with anger at my mum. I knew she was careless with Sophie, but never like this. I thought she would at least protect her granddaughter from the anger of her boyfriends.

"You come straight to me if any one of them touch or shout at you, OK?" I command as I finish off the braid.

"Promise mummy." I clamber off the bed, holding onto the end of the plait with one hand as I reach for something to secure it with. Once secure, I smooth my hand over it.

"Thank you," she says looking over her shoulder at me. I smile.

"No problem sweetie. We'll see whether we go and see Granny later."

"I liked Stormy's mummy. Can we go and see her and she be my Granny instead?" I exhale, my shoulders slumping. Part of me feels sorry that Sophie can't have a good relationship with my mum. She only seems to have me as family for her.

"I don't know..." I trail off, thinking back to yesterday and her calling one of them daddy. I told myself that I was going to talk to her about them, but everything that happened with Levi got in the way. I crouch down in front of the bed, and rest my hands either side of her legs as I look up at her. "Yesterday, when we were at the beach, you called one of the guys 'daddy'. Who were you talking to?" I venture, knowing it will be easier just to come out and ask her. She shrugs her shoulders, her hands fiddling with the sheets on the bed.

"I want them all to be my daddy," she mumbles. I smile sympathetically at her.

"Sweetie, that can't happen..."

"Why not?"

"Because..." I start, before sighing. "Because one day they're all going to have their own families, and so are we. I don't want you on that day to get upset..." I stop when I see tears begin to enter Sophie's eyes. I found it a lot harder to say that than I thought I would. It seems that Sophie isn't the only one who wants them in her life. I go to wipe the tears from her face but she pulls back from me, and crawls over the bed before dropping down on the other side. I let my head fall onto the bed where Sophie was just sitting, feeling like I've made a huge mistake. When I lift my head again Sophie is running past me to the open door. I hear feet pad on the floor before going down the stairs. I close my eyes, breathing in, and telling myself that I was trying to do the right thing, but I have no one to guide me, or tell me whether I made a mistake. I feel alone, my mum would never help me with Sophie, most of it I had to look up or made my own decisions. I'm eighteen and I'm trying to deal with looking after Sophie, going to school, maintaining friendships, and Tanner being out there on the loose. It's all getting too much, I feel like I'm in over my head. I would never change anything for the world though, I would never give Sophie up. What is wrong with me today? All the doubts I have pushed down, or am starting to have, are taking over me. Is it an after-effect of the ecstasy from last night? I push myself to my feet, and follow after Sophie. As I walk down the hall, I can hear what is happening downstairs.

"What's the matter munchkin?" Trystan asks. I start down the stairs and hear Sophie hiccuping and wailing through a response, causing it to come out intelligible.

I step onto the ground floor of the apartment to find Sophie in Trystan's arms with the rest of the boys looking on at them in concern.

"I didn't quite catch that," Trystan tells Sophie gently, stroking her back to try and calm her down. When the boys see me, there gaze goes to me asking silently for answers.

"I... um... we were talking about yesterday, and how she called one of you 'daddy', and she said that she wanted you all to be her dad, and I explained to her that it couldn't happen," I convey to them, my eyes on a distraught Sophie. Her arms cling to Trystan, her face buried into his shoulder her small shoulders shaking. My heart starts to break at seeing her this upset, and knowing she will unlikely let me anywhere near her at the moment.

"It's OK," Trystan says to Sophie, continuing to try and soothe her. I look to the others and see that their eyes are trained on Sophie, pain at seeing her like this clear in them. Ryder walks up to his twin, murmurs something in his ear. He nods, trying to detach Sophie who only clings on tighter.

"Sophie, I'm not going anywhere, Ryder's going to take you, OK?" he says patting her hair. Once Sophie returns to her position this time on Ryder, Trystan jogs past me, and up the stairs.

"I messed up," I announce.

"Bella ragazza, you didn't," Storm reassures.

"Look at her, I've never seen her this way," I tell them, pointing at where Sophie is still bawling, tears threatening to fall down my own face. I press my lips together to try and stop them. I hear feet on the stairs and then seconds later Trystan is moving past me with a guitar in his hands.Ryder and his brother both walk out of the living room and out onto the balcony.

"I've ruined everything!" I exclaim.

"No. You haven't," Brody says, slight anger in his tone.

"Yes, I have. I've ruined our day. I've ruined Sophie's dreams. I've ruined Levi's leg..."

"Levi's leg is going to be fine, as well as the other things," Jesse assures.

"If it wasn't for me, Tanner wouldn't be in your lives. I've been a burden on you all, and that's unfair. You've had to deal with me and Sophie..." Brody stops my self-deprecating rant by striding towards me and placing his lips over mine. Before I can come out of my shocked state, he pulls back. 

"I couldn't take you talking like that anymore, you are not a burden, so don't say that. We wouldn't change anything for the world. You know more about us than anyone else, and once you know the whole truth you'll realize your life seems pretty normal compared to ours," he mutters, his hands on my cheeks. I've kissed two of them, I think not quite taking in what he said.

Here you go!

I have good news, the updates will become more frequent as I have done what was keeping me busy!

I just wanted to reassure you all that Sophie is not getting abused. The worst that has happened to her, and will ever happen to her, is in this chapter. :)

Sorry that this chapter wasn't the one where we find out, however the next chapter will definitely have more answers, I am still unsure on how much the guys will let on. ;)

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What will happen next?

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CC ;)